Have Environment Issues Caused a Change in Your Behaviour?

[Edrof]

The recent increase in media attention towards environmental problems has changed my outlook on my daily life quite a lot.

I always recycled but now I'm more stringent with myself and I'm becoming far more resentful of the throwaway culture we have naturally developed. This especially comes to the fore at birthdays and Christmas when I look at the millions of toys my children have and ponder what else I can get them (that they won't play with once the week's out). Parents of GD, what have you done in this case? I'm thinking of switching to monetary gifts.

The largest impact has been buying antiques, though. Collecting weaponry has long put me into that world but I never really noticed, until recently, the rest of the stuff on offer and I'm quite kicking myself after decking the house out in sterile Ikea. I can get amazing craftsmanship, character, and a huge dose of history for less than what the high streets ask in most cases but it's also the ultimate in recycling. The lack of sweatshops is also a bonus.

How about you chaps?

 

[Edrof]

The thing that upsets me is that I do get the impression that my carefully sorted rubbish just gets chucked into landfill anyhow.

Yes, that annoys me too. What a waste of everyone's time. Sadly, some councils are terrible and populated by awful people who just don't care.

 

[Edrof]

I just see them pandying (add DFS, bed-in-bag folks, clothing industry, white goods) to propogating, the disposable, throw-away product transgression;
I don't want an ikea pax (honeycombed-hardboard) wardrobe every 7/8 years, rather, a solid engineered product that will last 20, through multiple moves.
(I don't use Ikea led lights .... but the lifespan of the ones I buy is laughable)

Agreed, and, while some modern things are indispensable, most home items (like furniture) can be found as antiques. People need to move away from the idea that antiques are dusty old brown things that only people in bow ties would want to own. There's a huge surge in industrial salvage items now being used for the home and, hopefully, this will bleed into other areas. These items were built to last for centuries by master craftsmen and they do.